Not applicable.
The invention relates to a covering rosette for a sanitary flush-mounted fitting with a covering plate which is fastened to the flush-mounted fitting and with an ornamental hood which is detachably fastened to the covering plate by means of a latching device, whereby covering plate and ornamental hood exhibit coaxial passage openings for a region of the flush-mounted fitting.
Covering rosettes of this type serve for protection of the flush-mounted fitting against spray and simultaneously serve to cover, in visually appealing manner, the transition region between the region of the flush-mounted fitting protruding from the wall and the wall section adjacent to this region.
A covering rosette of the type mentioned in the introduction is known from EP 0 485 842 B1. The covering rosette described therein comprises a covering plate which for the purpose of fastening is screwed onto the flush-mounted fitting, as well as an ornamental hood. The ornamental hood exhibits moulded-on pushbutton-type spigots, with which it locks in position in openings in the covering plate for detachable fastening by means of the latching device which is formed by the spigots and the openings.
A covering rosette of this type has the disadvantage that the elastic deformation path between the ornamental hood entering into the latching connection and the covering plate is very short. This necessitates a high dimensional accuracy of these components, in particular of the position and the dimensioning of the pushbutton-type spigots, in the course of manufacture, in order that the components fit together in the course of mounting of the covering rosette. Experience has shown that the elasticity of the latching connection which is highly stressed by reason of the short elastic deformation path is exhausted in the course of time by plastic deformation, as a result of which the connection may come loose in undesirable manner.
In addition, dismantling of covering rosettes of this type is made difficult by virtue of the fact that after the latching of ornamental hood and covering plate the covering rosette offers no defined working surface for dismantling the connection which has been brought about by the latching device. Dismantling of such a covering rosette can therefore result in damage to the ornamental hood and/or to the latching device and therefore in the unusability of the entire covering rosette.
The object of the present invention is therefore to configure a device of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a manner that the requirements as regards the dimensional accuracy of the constituents of the covering rosette are reduced, the elasticity of the latching device is permanently guaranteed and defined dismantling of the latching device is possible.
In accordance with the invention this object is achieved by the covering rosette exhibiting a spring section comprising at least one elastically yielding spring tongue, whereby said spring section retains the ornamental hood by means of the latching device which exhibits at least one latching projection in such a way that the connection brought about by the latching device is capable of being released by a tensile force acting on a constituent of the latching device away from the covering plate.
By virtue of the formation of the spring section with at least one elastically yielding spring tongue it is ensured that the elastic deformation path of the constituents from which the latching device is constructed, within which they guarantee a secure latching connection, is increased in comparison with known latching devices in the case of covering rosettes of the type mentioned in the introduction.
As regards the dimensional accuracy of the constituents of the covering rosette, less stringent demands are made overall than in the case of covering rosettes of the type mentioned in the introduction.
The spring section of an advantageous embodiment of the invention is formed by several elastically yielding spring tongues which are concentric with the passage openings and spaced from one another. By virtue of the plurality of spring tongues it is possible for the angular orientation of the ornamental hood in relation to the covering platexe2x80x94in particular, in the normal case, the parallelismxe2x80x94to be adjusted well. By virtue of the fact that the spring tongues are distributed over a relatively large area, an unintentional gaping opening between ornamental hood and covering plate is avoided.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the latching device comprises two latching elements with latching faces matching one another and having several latching projections. With latching faces which are formed in this manner the latching device has several latching positions in the axial direction with respect to the passage opening. This enables the use of ornamental hoods with variable overall heights, which are all capable of being fastened securely by means of the same latching device. In addition, when one of the latching elements is connected to the flush-mounted fitting so as to be fixed with respect to the housing, by virtue of such a formation of the latching device the covering rosette can be mounted securely and in visually appealing manner, even with variable installation height of the flush-mounted fitting in a plumbing wall. The possibility of always using the same latching device results in cost savings in connection with the manufacture of the constituents of the covering plate.
The latching projections are preferably sawteeth. Latching projections of this type can be manufactured in straightforward manner and provide a secure support.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the sawteeth are asymmetrical. By this means it is ensured that the expenditure of force is different when locking and releasing the latching connection of the latching device.
The sides of the sawteeth that are loaded in the course of attachment of the ornamental hood preferably include a smaller angle with the effective direction of the force than the sides of the sawteeth that are loaded in the course of detachment of the ornamental hood. The expenditure of force in the course of mounting is relatively slight, and the latching device is nevertheless securely connected, since the connection that is established by the latching device is released only after a limiting force has been overcome, the magnitude of which is greater than that of the mounting force.
This effect occurs in particularly pronounced manner if the sides of the sawteeth that are loaded in the course of detachment of the ornamental hood are perpendicular to the effective direction of the force. Such perpendicular surfaces provide a strong, safeguarding restraint in the effective direction against the force that is required for detaching the ornamental hood and are, at the same time, easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the ornamental hood is resiliently biased in the latching device. The resilient biasing further reduces the requirements as regards the dimensional accuracy of the constituents of the covering rosette and holds the various parts in non-positive abutment at all times.
The ornamental hood preferably exhibits an edge surrounding its passage opening which separates a radially inner section which is concave when viewed from outside from a radially outer section which is convex when viewed from outside. By virtue of such a shaping of the ornamental hood its defined deformation in the course of the resilient biasing by the latching device is guaranteed. In addition, an ornamental hood which has been shaped in such a manner creates a visually appealing effect.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the latching device comprises a ring element which is coaxial with the passage opening of the covering plate and which exhibits at least one latching projection on its outer periphery. Latching projections can be easily fitted to a ring element of this type in the course of manufacture of the constituents of the covering rosette.
The ring element may be a component that is separate from the ornamental hood. As a result, the manufacture of the ornamental hood may be effected separately from the manufacture of the ring element. The ornamental hood may then consist, for example, of materials that are visually appealing but not suitable for the formation of latching projections.
In this connection the ring element preferably exhibits a radially protruding flange, the outside diameter of which is larger than the inside diameter of the passage opening of the ornamental hood. In this configuration the ornamental hood is held down in the mounted state by means of the ring element which exhibits the latching projection. In this case the ornamental hood does not have to exhibit any special fastening means.
The flange of the ring element may expediently exhibit recesses for receiving a tool head corresponding with it. With the aid of such a tool which engages in the recesses, both the mounting and the dismantling of the covering rosette are simplified.
Alternatively, the flange may exhibit an oval outer contour. Such a shaping of the flange is particularly suitable for receiving a tool with the aid of which a force is also to be transmitted in the peripheral direction of the ring element in the course of mounting or dismantling of the covering rosette.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention the ring element is non-detachably connected to the ornamental hood. The number of loose individual parts from which the as yet unmounted covering rosette is constructed is thereby reduced. This simplifies storage. In addition, with such a configuration the ring element and the ornamental hood are always securely connected to one another.
The ring element may also be integrally connected to the ornamental hood. This is advantageous in those cases in which a unified manufacturing process is possible. The ring element and the ornamental hood can then be produced in one manufacturing step.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the ring element exhibits a peripheral groove for receiving a gasket in the surface region facing towards the passage opening. With the aid of the gasket which is inserted into this peripheral groove the ring element protects the flush-mounted fitting against penetrating water.
The latching face of the ring element of another embodiment of the invention is constructed in the form of an external thread, and the latching face of the covering plate is constructed in the form of an internal thread corresponding thereto. Mounting or dismantling of the ornamental hood in this embodiment can optionally be performed with the aid of the screwing or unscrewing of the ring element or with the aid of a corresponding compressive or tensile force in the direction towards the ring element, which is coaxial with the passage opening of the ornamental hood. In this case the latching faces may also be so constructed that dismantling of the ornamental hood is only possible by unscrewing the ring element. By this means an undesirable release of the latching connection, for example as a result of internal stresses which arise, can be avoided.
The invention may be so configured that the covering plate comprises the spring section. In such an embodiment the spring tongues are fixed to the covering plate. The remaining constituents of the latching device then exhibit a relatively simple geometry and may accordingly be manufactured easily. The spring section is preferably integrally moulded on the covering plate.
The wall thickness of the spring tongues may be smaller than the wall thickness of the remaining covering plate onto which they are moulded. This smaller wall thickness has the result that the spring tongues can be bent relatively easily compared with the deformation of the covering plate. The elastically yielding shape of the spring tongues can consequently be manufactured easily.
The axial cross-section of the spring tongues with respect to the axis of the passage opening of the covering plate is preferably substantially U-shaped. Such a shaping of the spring tongues assists their elastic pliability.
In an alternative configuration of the invention the ring element comprises the spring section. By this means a covering plate can be realised with simple geometry. The spring section is preferably integrally moulded onto the ring element.
The wall thickness of the spring tongues may be smaller than the wall thickness of the remaining ring element onto which they are moulded, resulting in an elastically yielding ring element which is easy to manufacture.
In another embodiment of the invention the latching device exhibits a plurality of latching spigots which engage in latching structures pertaining to the covering plate and which are connected to the ornamental hood. In this case no ring element is required as a constituent of the covering rosette. The latching spigots may, in addition, be manufactured easily and cost-effectively.
In this connection the latching spigots are advantageously non-detachably connected to the ornamental hood. The covering rosette consequently consists of relatively few individual parts. In this case it is possible to dispense with separate fastening means which connect the latching spigots to the ornamental hood.
The latching spigots are preferably integrally connected to the ornamental hood. Manufacture of the ornamental hood together with the latching spigots in a single manufacturing step is made possible thereby. In addition, the position of the latching spigots on the ornamental hood is easy to predetermine in the course of manufacture.
In an advantageous construction the latching structures pertaining to the latching spigots which correspond with the latching structures pertaining to the covering plate are constructed as threads. Such latching structures can be easily fixed to the preformed latching-spigot bodies.
In another embodiment the latching structures pertaining to the covering plate engage the corresponding latching structures pertaining to the latching spigots only in a surface section which is situated on the outside with respect to the passage opening. In conjunction with the elastically yielding spring tongues the simple mounting or dismantling of the ornamental hood is guaranteed by the locking of the latching spigots in position in the latching device or the release of the latching spigots from the latching device, since the latching structures pertaining to the latching spigots which are situated on the inside with respect to the axis of the passage opening of the covering plate are not active relative to the covering plate.